Performing Geeks
by Softballer21
Summary: After auditioning for a perfoming arts school in New York, Ally Dawson must stop hiding and shine in the school full of wannabes, musicians, divas, actors, directors, comedians, and many more.
1. Chapter 1

Ally Dawson–The Songwriter

Austin Moon–The Musician

Trish De La Rosa–The Actress

Dez Finklestor–The Filmmaker

Rosie Velasquez–The Rocker

Nelson–The Desperate Performer

Kira Starr–The Princess

Trent—The Faker

Cassidy–The Sidekick

Dallas–The Other Sidekick

Jimmy Starr—The King

Songs Featured:

Girl on Fire

Lady Marmalade

Everybody Talks

Empire State of Mind

Don't You Forget About You

Mambo Number 5

Starships

All Summer Long

Lose Yourself


	2. Package

**Ally's POV **

Another day here at Sonic Boom, where I worked at. After selling a guitar to some cute college guy, I started tapping my feet.

(Ally starts singing Calls Me Home)

_It's funny how _

_The walk of life _

_Can take you down _

_Without a fight_

_So many years _

_Can leave behind _

_Regretfully until it's time _

_To realize the moment _

_When you turn around._

_I'm coming home _

_To breathe again,_

_To start again_

_I'm coming home_

_From all the places _

_I have been_

_With nothing _

_But a voice within _

_That calls me…_

_Calls me home_

_Back in the day_

_When I was younger_

_I was so lost and proud _

_I've gained the world_

_But it will never_

_Compare to what i've earned_

_In the quiet moment_

_When the earth holds still _

_I'm coming home _

_To breathe again_

_To start again_

_I'm coming home_

_From all the places _

_I have been_

_With nothing _

_But a voice within _

_That calls me…_

_Calls me home_

_Calls me home_

_I'm coming home _

_To breathe again_

_To start again_

_I'm coming home _

_To breathe again_

_To start again_

_I'm coming home_

_From all the places _

_I have been_

_With nothing _

_But a voice within _

_That calls me…_

(Ally stops singing)

"Ally," said Dad.

I looked back at the staircase and Dad was happily walking towards me with a package in his hand.

"There's a package for you."

"For me? What is it?" I asked. If it's a package, it must be very important.

"I don't know but it's from New York."

New York? Why is it from Mew York?

I snatched the package from his hands and quickly opened it.

"Oh my God!" I gasped.

"Ally, what is it?" asked Dad.

"It's from MUNY!"

"Moo-nee?"

"No, MUNY stands for Music University of New York! They accepted me there! It's been my dream to go to that school."

"Can we afford it?"

"Mom said you two could."

"Oh, yeah."

I gave Dad the letter. As he reads it, I walk around it.

"I can't believe that I'm going to the school of my dreams! Experience everything I ever dreamed of! The school of singers, dancers, musicians—"

"Ally?" My dad cut me off.

"What?"

"Ally, before you could go there, it says that you have to audition first."

"Audition?"

"Yes, you have to audition in New York to get in. Ally, I know you have stage fright, but if you don't want to do it—"

"I will do it."

"Ally, are you sure? Remember what happened the last time?"

"Dad, I was nine years-old."

"You threw up on the girl in front of you during your choir concert."

"I know, but I'm sixteen now. This school has always been my dream. Music is more than my hobby. Music was meant for me! I just know it. I can sing, play guitar, play piano, and dance." I danced my usual dance to show Dad.

"Sweetie, let me put this in a way that won't hurt your feelings. You can't dance."

"Do you believe I can do it, Dad?"

"Ally, you were born to do this. I know you're ready."


	3. Audition

**By the way, special guest star: Ally's crazy-ass cousin, Rosie! The character I made up in all of my stories.**

Two days have passed. Dad and I were heading to New York.

My stage fright has to stop. MUNY is the school of my dreams. If my stage fright gets in the way, then my dream will be crushed.

Why wouldn't they picked me? I wouldn't say I'm the best, but I need to have some confidence in me.

They're must be a ton of other kids auditioning to get into this school. Most of them could possibly be a thousand times more talented than me. Dancers, singers, musicians, actors, comedians, stunt actors, and other forms of performing arts are coming to this school.

"You can do this, Ally," said Dad. "I have faith in you whatsoever."

"Thank you, Dad." I smiled.

Finally, we're here. New York seems to be a lot more different from Miami. So crowded, too many rude people, a lot of fascinating sights, and has the noticeable scent of trash all over.

Dad and I were in a taxi. We were heading to the school.

When we got there, it looked pretty packed. There's students and their parents in a line.

We had to wait in line for half an hour. Finally, we were at the top.

"Name?" said the lady.

"Ally Dawson," I said.

"Okay. Ally, may I have your application?"

"Here you go," said Dad. He handed her my application.

"Alright. You are number forty-six, Ally. Go into the auditorium and wait in there for the auditions to start."

"Thank you."

Dad and I walked into the school. It looked amazing. This place didn't even look like a school.

We sat in seats at the auditorium. A bunch of other people were there as well. I wonder what some of these kids are going to do for their auditions.

After an hour passed, two unfamiliar people walked up onto the stage.

The man had on glasses and was bald. He was dark-skinned and looked like a music producer.

The woman had medium-length, dark brown hair with brown eyes. She was tall and had a long face.

"Hello, everyone," said the woman. "Welcome to the Music University of New York. I am DaMonica Dixon, vice principal."

"And I am Jimmy Starr," said the man, "principal of the school. We would like to thank everyone for coming out today. I would love to see some new, fresh, and talented students come into my school. We will give you a score between 1 to 12 which will determine whether you got what it takes to be in this school. Now let's see what you can do."

They both went to sit down in the table in front of the stage.

A few people had started their auditions. Some of them were good, but the others weren't so good. I felt so sorry for the people who failed at this.

"Number eleven," said DaMonica.

A very tall, redheaded boy walked up on stage. He had a strange style. The guy had on a ridiculous t-shirt and colorful pants.

"What's your name, red?" asked Jimmy.

"Dez Finklestor," said the guy.

"So what type of performing do you do, Dez?"

"I'm a director. I always have a camera with me. My dream is to make movies and music videos for the most famous people out there."

"What do you have for your audition, Dez?" asked DaMonica.

"I have to show y'all a short preview of a movie I made up called Avenging Heather."

We saw a preview of his short film. It was thriller and full of suspense. It was about a guy, who's sister has been murdered. Now he tries to find the people who murdered her and why they did.

After it said COMING SOON, DaMonica and Jimmy started clapping for Dez.

"Dez, I must say you have such imagination and creativity." said DaMonica.

"So much suspense, action, and thrills," said Jimmy. "We're giving you…an eight!"

After Dez, a few more kids came up. Then, it came to number eighteen.

A tall girl with long, brown straight hair, brown eyes, and olive skin walked up onto the stage. She had a violin in her hands.

"Hey, I'm Rosie," she said. "I sing, I play four different instruments, that includes violin, drums, trumpet, and flute. I also do comedy, but I couldn't think of any jokes on the way over here. So I will be doing the Devil Went Down To Georgia." She started her violin.

_The devil went down to Georgia _

_He was lookin' for a soul to steal _

_He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind _

_And he was willing to make a deal _

_When he came across this young man _

_Sawing on a fiddle and playing it hot _

_And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump _

_And said, "Boy let me tell you what _

_"I guess you didn't know it _

_But I'm a fiddle player too _

_And if you'd care to take a dare _

_I'll make a bet with you" _

_"Now you play pretty good fiddle, son _

_But give the devil his due _

_I bet a fiddle of gold against your soul _

_'Cause I think I'm better than you" _

_The boy said "My name's Johnny _

_And it might be a sin _

_But I'll take your bet and you're gonna regret _

_'Cause I'm the best that's ever been" _

_Johhny you resin up your bow _

_And play your fiddle hard _

_'Cause Hell's broke loose in Georgia _

_And the devil deals the cards _

_And if you win _

_You get this shiny fiddle made of gold _

_But if you lose _

_The devil gets your soul _

_The devil openned up his case _

_And he said "I'll start this show" _

_And fire flew from his fingertips _

_As he resined up his bow _

_And he pulled the bow across the strings _

_And it made an evil hiss _

_Then a band of demons joined in _

_And it sounded something like this _

_When the devil finished Johnny said _

_"Well you're pretty good, old son _

_But sit down in that chair right there _

_And let me show you how it's done" _

_Fire on the mountain, run boys run _

_The devil's in the house of the rising sun _

_Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough _

_Granny does your dog bite, no child no _

_The devil bowed his head _

_Because he knew that he'd been beat _

_And he laid that golden fiddle _

_On the ground at Johnny's feet _

_Johnny said "Devil, just come on back _

_If you ever want to try again _

_But I told you once, you son of a bitch _

_I'm the best that's ever been" _

_He played _

_Fire on the mountain, run boys run _

_The devil's in the house of the rising sun _

_Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough _

_Granny does your dog bite, no child no_

After she ends it, they started clapping. She bows her head. They announced that we score is a nine.

My God. She has a nine. What if the people before me have a better chance than me? I might be doomed already.

Forty-five minutes passed. Only a few had gotten pretty high scores. The highest so far has been a nine.

"Number forty-six," Jimmy called out.

Oh my god. I'm forty-six! It was me.

"Go Ally," Dad whispered.

I walked up on stage. My balance was almost once I stepped on the mini stairs.

I stood up there and hesitated a bit.

"Hi, I'm Ally Dawson," I said. "I play guitar and piano. I can sing too."

"Let's see if you got a voice, Ally," said DaMonica.

Then, I sat down with my legs criss-crossed.

"May I?" I said. My hand extended out to the cup with pencils in them on their table.

"Sure," said Jimmy.

I took the cup and pour the pencils out. My eyes closed. Then, I started a beat with the cup. As the beat goes on, I sang:

_I got my ticket for the long way 'round_

_Two bottle 'a whiskey for the way_

_And I sure would like some sweet company_

_And I'm leaving tomorrow, wha-do-ya say?_

_When I'm gone_

_When I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me by my hair_

_You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

My eyes opened. The fear I had all my life was disappearing.

_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round_

_The one with the prettiest of views_

_It's got mountains, it's got rivers, it's got sights to give you shivers_

_But it sure would be prettier with you_

_When I'm gone_

_When I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me by my walk_

_You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

I stopped. DaMonica smiled at me. I glanced over at Jimmy. The look on his face was curious. It worried me.

Suddenly, the curious face turned into a smile. He gave me a thumbs up.

"You got talent, girl," he said. "Some fine rhythm and an awesome voice. I give you…a ten."


	4. Roommates & Mean Girls

My dream was coming true. I couldn't believe that I was going to the Music University of New York.

After all of the auditions, Jimmy and DaMonica stood on the stage.

"All of you did a wonderful job," said DaMonica, "but we cannot choose all of you."

"The people who will be attending this school are…" said Jimmy. This is it. The moment of truth. "Max Ackerman, Delilah Andrews, Isaac Bennett, Tyler Berkskin, Peter Bowman, Evelyn Cassidy, Ethan Chase, Naomi Coleman, Vincent DaMori, Allison Dawson…"

Oh, my God! They said my name! I'm in.

"Tristan Evenstein, Desmond Finklestor, Jessica Fisher…"

That Dez guy jump out of his seat. He was so happy and proud.

"Brandon Underwood, Rosalie Velasquez, Georgina Voss…"

Rosie had also gotten in. She shouted out as well with glee.

"Now you will be taking the regular required classes for school, including algebra, history, English, and chemistry." said DaMonica. "But along with them, you will get acting classes, singing classes, filming classes, and media arts. In about one week, you will move into your dorm and receive your schedule. On the way out after this, you will also receive the book of MUNY, which involves rules, dress code, punishments, and information. If you have an questions, just call me or Jimmy, okay? See all of my rising stars in one week!"

I turned to my dad. "I've been accepted!" I gasped as I hugged my dad.

"I'm so proud of you," said Dad.

—

A week had passed. I was heading back to New York with all my stuff. I packed my clothes, my purse, my phone, my books, my charger, and my laptop. It was my necessary things.

After I got out of the taxi, I went inside of the school. Everybody was moving into their dorms. All of them had suitcases and stuff in their arms. There was that one girl who had a ton of stuffed animals with her.I found my dorm already.

Once I opened the door, I found a clear white room. In there were three beds. Two of them were a bunk bed and a full size bed on the floor.

"Oh, hi," said a voice.

I turned around and found a girl behind me. I knew who it was. It was the girl with the violin.

"Hi," I said.

"You must be my roommate." She held her hand out to me. "Rosalie Velasquez. You call me Rosie or Rose. I don't care."

I shook her hand. "Allison Dawson. Call me Ally." Her grip was strong that it was hurting my hand. "Ouch. Hi."

"Sorry." She lets go of my hand. "When you were born and raised in a barn all your life in Kansas, you gotta work no matter what!"

"Well, I'm from Miami so not a lot like Kansas."

"Okay, Ally. Which bed do you wanna take?"

"Uhhh…I've never slept on a bunk bed before."

"Me neither. I'm an only child."

"Me too."

"Holy crap! We have like so much in common."

"I'll take the one bed. You can the bunk all to yourself."

"Wait. I think we're suppose to have another roommate."

"That's me," said another voice.

There was a short, chubby girl at the door. She looked Hispanic, had brown eyes, and black ringlets.

"I'm Trish," she said.

"Rosie," said Rosie.

"Ally," I said.

"So I'll take the bottom bunk since I have a stupid fear of heights." said Trish.

"Okay. So I get the top bunk!" shrieked Rosie. "I gotta start decorating."

We all started decorating our parts of our room. I had turquoise and lime green bed sheets on my full size bed. My books were organized onto a shelf alphabetically: Breaking Dawn, Call Me Ishmael, The Diary of Anne Frank, Dracula , Eclipse, Fifty Shades of Grey, Frankenstein, Interview with a Vampire, New Moon, and Twilight. My most precious books of all time.

Rosie had dark purple bedspreads and was hanging some posters. Her posters were Star Wars, the Hunger Games, and Jim Parsons from the Big Bang Theory.

"What are you some kind of nerd?" Trish laughed.

"Queen of the nerds!" howled Rosie. We all laughed.

Trish's bottom bunk had pictures of her and some cut-out pictures of celebrities. Her bed had cheetah print bedspread.

I took a few album covers from Sonic Boom along with me to hang on my wall.

My album covers were the Beatles, Micheal Jackson's Thriller, Nirvana, KISS, and Foo Fighters.

"You have all of those albums?" asked Rosie.

"Umm…yeah." I answered. "They're from my dad's store."

"Your dad runs a music store?" asked Trish.

"Yeah. Sonic Boom. I work there."

"Awesome. That's too awesome."

"Since we're done," said Rosie, "how about we check out the school? I heard it's great all around the place."

We checked out the place. Most of these kids had instruments in their hands and most of them showing off their dance moves.

This one boy and girl were dancing hip-hop and acrobatic. He lifted her up high. They were walking backwards toward me.

I was walking back trying to get out of the way. BOOM! I knocked into someone from behind. I turned around.

They were three girls. In the middle was a tall, gorgeous one. She had glossy black hair and brown eyes.

The one on her right was taller than her and had a more leaned appearence. She had straight blonde hair that was kind of a bronzy blonde.

The one on the left was very short like an inch above Trish. She had light blonde hair and a gap in her teeth.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Sorry isn't good enough," said the middle girl.

"Then, what is?" asked the short one. "Shouldn't you say sorry?"

"Tilly, just shut up," said the tall one.

"I'm Ally," I said nicely.

"Kira," said the middle one.

"Tilly," said the short one, "and this is Cassidy."

Trish and Rosie stepped in.

"Well, well, well," said Trish, "if it isn't the Queen and her Fen-Fen Twins."

"Oh, snap," said Rosie. "She just got y'all, bitches!"

"Who are you guys?" I asked.

"The best in school of course," said Kira.

"Watch and learn," said Cassidy.

_All the single ladies, all the single ladies_

_All the single ladies, all the single ladies_

_All the single ladies, all the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

Cassidy sanged: _Now put your hands up_

_Up in the club, we just broke up, I'm doing my own little thing_

_Decided to dip and now you wanna trip_

_'Cause another brother noticed me_

_I'm up on him, he up on me_

_Don't pay him any attention_

_Just cried my tears, for three good years_

_Ya can't be mad at me_

'_Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Don't be mad once you see that he want it_

_'Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

_If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Don't be mad once you see that he want it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

Tilly sang:_ I got gloss on my lips, a man on my hips_

_Got me tighter in my Dereon jeans_

_Acting up, drink in my cup_

_I can care less what you think_

_I need no permission, did I mention_

_Don't pay him any attention_

_'Cause you had your turn, and now you gonna learn_

_What it really feels like to miss me_

_'Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Don't be mad once you see that he want it_

_'Cause if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

_If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Don't be mad once you see that he want it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

Kira sang: _Don't treat me to the things of the world_

_I'm not that kind of girl_

_Your love is what I prefer, what I deserve_

_Here's a man that makes me, then takes me_

_And delivers me to a destiny, to infinity and beyond_

_Pull me into your arms, say I'm the one you own_

_If you don't, you'll be alone, and like a ghost, I'll be gone_

_All the single ladies, all the single ladies_

_All the single ladies, all the single ladies_

_All the single ladies, all the single ladies_

_All the single ladies_

_Now put your hands up_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

_'Cause if you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Don't be mad once you see that he want it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Don't be mad once you see that he want it_

_If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it_

_Oh, oh, oh_

After they stopped, Kira came up to me and said, "Think of that, wannabe. Ladies." She snapped her fingers like a witch.

They left in style.

"That plant over there just died when she passed by," Rosie said.

"Yep, I see it," said Trish. "Poor little plant."


	5. Crush

**Hips Don't Lie (Rosie & Dez)**

**Empire State of Mind & Firework (Austin, Ally, Trish, & Rosie)**

**Only Girl in The World (Kira, Cassidy & Tilly)**

******Time After Time (Austin & Ally)**

**Poker Face & Crazy (Kira, Cassidy, and Tilly)**

**Lady Marmalade (Austin, Ally, Rosie, & Trish)**

**Girl on Fire (Ally)**

**Born This Way & Just The Way You Are (Kira & her sidekicks)**

**You Make Me Feel, Don't You Forget About Me, Need You Now, & Don't Stop Believin (Austin, Ally, Trish, Dez, & Rosie)**

** New List of Songs that they will each sing. If it says &, then it means that they're like mashed up.**

**—**

That Kira girl seemed like a really mean person. She seems to think that she's all that.

"So what about Kira?" I asked.

"Kira is the diva of the school," informed Trish. "She can sing and dance, but she thinks she's all that."

"I can tell by the way she walked," smirked Rosie. "I just thought something was wrong with her legs."

"What about those two other girls?"

"Cassidy and Tilly are like her sidekicks." said Trish. "They can sing and dance too, but not as good as Kira. Tilly is a little…"

"Air-headed?" I said.

"Stupid?" said Rosie.

"Both. Also, a little more crazy. She tries to act like Kira a bit, by saying that she hates everything. Now Cassidy is the muscle on their squad."

"If we ever fight them, I call Cassidy," said Rosie.

"Also, she's a pueta. Can't stop messing around no matter what."

"Yep, I can take on that whore as well."

—

It was nighttime. We all slept in our rooms.

My bed was very comfortable. It must be one of those foam mattresses.

Suddenly, a loud snoring woke me up. It was Trish. She was snoring louder than a Kodiak bear.

"Trish!" I yelled silently.

She woke up and removed her blindfold from her eyes.

"What?" She moaned.

"Keep your snoring down."

"Why? It's not my fault."

"It's waking me up and it might wake up Rosie."

Rosie woke up too.

"It don't bother me," said Rosie. "I'm a very heavy shleeper. Not even World War III could wake me up."

"Rosie, why are you talking funny?" I asked.

"My headgear, alright?"

"You wear headgear?" laughed Trish.

"Ssshut up! Good night!"

"Good night." I said.

The next morning appeared in the blink of an eye.

I got up and got dressed. I had on one of my favorite outfit. My white t-shirt, reddish-brown leather jacket, light blue jeans, and brown boots.

Rosie had on a black KISS t-shirt, combat boots, and grey and black cheetah print pants.

Trish had a red and white striped dress and a navy blue jacket.

"Ready for class?" I asked.

"I'm gonna rock it," said Rosie. "My style is black, rocker chick."

"My style is chic but wild child!" said Trish.

"Oh, yeah?" I said. "My style is girly, fierce, and hot!"

"She got it there." Rosie pointed it out.

Rosie and I had Mr. Penbrooke for algebra. As we were about to sit in the middle of the class, three girls took our seat. It was none other than Kira, Tilly, and Cassidy.

"Just as I thought," I murmured.

"Cute outfit," said Kira. "Where did you get it from? Sears?"

They started laughing.

"Give her a break, Kira." said Cassidy. "She's wearing the same clothes that I wore when I was still a virgin."

They also laughed at that. It's true. I'm still a virgin.

"You know that haircut you have there is for lesbians only," said Tilly.

"Good one, Tilly," laughed Cassidy.

"All right. That's it. Y'all are going down!" said Rosie.

I held Rosie back. She was really strong. It was almost like she could yank me off of my feet right now.

"Rose, stop!" I said.

Rosie stopped. Kira said, "Better watch your back."

"That makes you stupid 'cause I can't even see my back!" barked Rosie.

"Rosie!" I said.

I yanked her back and we sat in the very front of the right away from Kira.

Before Mr. Penbrooke could close the door, a guy ran through it.

He had shaggy blonde hair. The guy had a lanky appearance. I'm sure his eyes were a certain kind of brown. He seemed to look boyish and kind of cute.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said to Penbrooke.

"That better be the only tardy you get, Mr. Moon," said Penbrooke.

The blonde guy sat in the very last seat in the back of the row where Rosie sat.

I found myself staring at him. Why was I doing that? I've never stared at a guy so much before.

His eyes turned to me and he saw me. The guy caught me staring at him.

I turned back to the front quickly.

Wow, I thought. That guy saw me! If I had the ability to read the minds of others, I would read his mind now. I wonder what he thought of me as.

"You're staring at Blondie over there, aren't you, Alls?" Rosie whispered.

"Uhh…no," I hesitated. "W-Why would you think that, Rose?"

"Come on. Don't pretend like you're not looking at him. I could tell you just wanna stare at you again."

"Maybe."

"I knew it."

"What should I do?"

"Stare at him again. That'll lead you in."

I did what Rosie said and looked back at him.

All of a sudden, he stared at me. We both started staring into each other's eyes. I couldn't stop. I-I just couldn't.

The guy got out of his seat. He walked over to me. His arms yanked me out of my chair and crushed my body against his chest. We were making out.

Oh, God. His arms were wrapped around my waist. My hands tickled through his shaggy hair. This moment was incredible.

One thing I realized was that it was just a daydream. When my mind snapped back to reality, he was indeed staring back at me.

"Mr. Moon?" called out Mr. Penbrooke.

The guy, or Mr. Moon, stopped and responded to Penbrooke.

"Uhh…yes, sir?" He said.

"The question. What answer did you choose for question number three?"

"Uhh. I put eight…point…four?"

"It's multiple choice."

Some of the class started giggling. I giggling along as well.

"Sorry about that."

Rosie leaned towards me and whispered, "Be careful. I just caught Kira looking at you looking at him. She doesn't like it."

I looked at Kira. Her jaw clenched behind the skin of her lips and she gave me a look.

—

Today wasn't so bad. Most of the teachers were pretty cool and all of the classes were fun.

As I was writing in my diary on my bed, Rosie was painting her toenails and Trish was on her laptop.

"Hey, guys," I said, "have y'all ever had a boyfriend?"

"Of course," said Rosie. "I had a lot. But I don't think four is enough."

"Yeah, I had a few boyfriends," said Trish. "How about you, Ally?"

"No." I felt embarrassed.

"Never?" said Trish.

I nodded.

"Who's the guy?" asked Trish.

"I already know," said Rosie. "Some blonde guy she was making goo-goo eyes at in algebra."

"What's his name?"

"I don't know." I said. "Penbrooke calls him Mr. Moon."

"Moon?! Austin Moon!"

"You know him?"

"Yep. One of the most talented students here. He can sing, dance, act, and play almost every instrument. It's his second year here."

"I was staring at him and Kira caught us looking at each other. She looked mad."

"Oh, yeah. They used to date."

"Date?"

"Exes now. He dumped her last year. Also, he doesn't perform that much anymore."

"Why?"

"Beats me."

"So, Rose," I said, "any guy here for you?"

"You know that red guy at the auditions with the horror film?" She said.

"Dez Finklestor?"

"Yep. He's cute."

"Wow," said Trish. "You look more like you're into Hispanic guys."

"Nope. I loovvvveee the redheads! Especially that Carrot-Top director!"

"I hoping to get some guy this year too," said Trish.

"Well, let's hope this year goes by fast," said Rosie.


	6. Second Semester

A few months have passed. The school year has been utterly amazing. This was the kind of school that everyone wants to go to. There's hardly any rules there.

It was January. After spending two weeks of Christmas vacation back home, I was alreaady heading back to New York.

The snow was freezing. I wasn't that used to cold winter. Back in Miami, there was never that much snow.

Trish and Rosie became my two best friends. They were such loud, fun, and crazy girls. They both kind of brought out the weirdness, wild, and awesome side of me that I never knew that I even had. I was now a changed person.

Rosie was an amazing singer and musician. Her voice is a mix of the voices of Katy Perry, Rhianna, Christina Aguilera, and Adele. Very deep and a little Gospel. She was able to play the violin, drums, trumpet, and flute. Rosie admitted that when she was seven she took piano lessons, but she found them too difficult and quit.

Trish is an aspiring actress. This was her second year here in MUNY. Every time we were having a school play, Trish is in our room practicing for her auditions. Her dream is to be a big star on Broadway. The plays we had this year were Hairspray, Annie, Les Miserables, Romeo & Juliet, and Little Shops of Horror. She didn't get the leading roles, but she got to sing and say a few lines.

Kira was a huge problem. She seemed to be offended by me. I wasn't trying to take the spotlight away from her. But if she thinks that, then she needs to keep it to herself.

Another thing has been on my mind all semester: Austin Moon. I just couldn't get him off my mind.

Everyday in Algebra, we would always stare at each other. Kira would sometimes catch us and gave me a dirty look, but I didn't care. She can't come in between us.

Was it possible that I was falling in love with him? I don't even know him. I have never said one word to him. Now I think I'm falling for him. Is it a little strange that I have daydreams and regular sleeping dreams of him? Rosie and Trish don't know that I had dreams of him. In my diary, when I write about him, I don't use his name. He is adressed in his codename "X-Man." I know Rosie kind of got me hooked on one of her favorite Marvel movies: X-Men.

The second semester has begun. Rosie and I were heading to Algebra. Once we sat down in our desks, the bell rang.

"All right, class," said Penbrooke. "I have some exciting news."

"You're getting a toupee?" asked Rosie.

Everyone started laughing.

"No, Ms. Rosie. Students, the annual Big Show Case is coming."

I raised my hand. "Uhh... Mr. Penbrooke, some of us are kind of new here. What's the Big Show Case?"

"It's the biggest perfomance in the school. It's like a giant talent show. You have a group, perform, and get the judges' approval. Do it three times. In the third round, it's now or never. We invite producers and record labels, talent agents, and all that."

"I think that's a big waste of time," said a voice from the back. It was Austin.

"Well, Mr. Austin, that's your opinion." said Penbrooke.

"In my opinion, the Big Show Case is like American Idol and Wipeout. Judges, music, and humiliation. Just shows others that they're not talented enough."

"Mr. Austin, you may not like it, but a lot of other students want to participate as well, right?"

"Of course!" said Kira. "We already know who's gonna win."

"Us." said Tilly.

"How about this, Kira?" said Austin. "What if I started my own group of aspiring musicians?"

"You? Austin, please!"

"I'm serious. You think you're the best? I can form a group of people who are as talented as you and perform with them. That will make me invincible. How you like them apples?"

"Wow, Austin. As if you think you can get back on stage after what happened last year."

Austin's face turned to depressed and upset. Kira smiled like the witch she was.

"How do you know that y'all are going to win?" I asked. "It hasn't even started yet."

"Because no one here is that talented." said Kira.

"We're in a school full of talented and gifted people. Some of them may be good at singing, dancing, and playing an instrument, but not at the same time."

"She's got a point," said Austin.

"Only the judges give points." Kira looked back at me. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

"I don't know what you're thinking at all, so what is it?"

"You're going to form your own group of wannabes and try to beat me. I'm sorry, sweetheart, but that only happens in the movies."

"Who says that I can't perform in the Big Show Case?"

"This competition is for pros. I'm pretty sure you're way below the scale."

"And you broke the scale?"

"No one can beat us. You know why?"

"Confused about your sexuality? Yeah, I thought so too."

Most people started giggling.

"You know what?!"

"No, what?"

"I will-"

"Ladies, settle down now," interrupted Penbrooke. "Let's get along now."

"Yes, we should." said Kira.

"Oh, joy." I sarcastically said.

I can't believe I was sticking up for myself to Kira. For some reason, I felt so powerful and confindent in myself now. It's like I can do anything. I could fly off into the sky like Superman. Well, I can't fly and I'm not Kryptonian, so cross out flying on my bucket list.

After the bell rang, I was stopped in the hallway by someone. I turned back and it was Austin.

"Hey," he said.

"H-Hi."

"You're...Ally, right?"

"Yeah. I'm Ally."

"I'm Austin."

"Okay, Austin."

"Listen. I saw what you did there to Kira. I'm very impressed. No one has ever insulted her like that."

"She needed a taste of her own medicine."

"I know she can be a bitch sometimes, but... never mind. She's always a bitch."

I giggled a bit.

"So listen. As you may had heard, I will form my group for the Big Show Case."

"I know. You said that in class."

"Are you talented?"

"Me? Uhh...I don't know."

"I see that you dislike Kira a lot, but who doesn't? I wondering if you would like to join my group."

"Join your group?"

"Yeah."

"Uhh...that's nice of you to ask me, but I'm not the center-stage type. I like to make music to myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I have to go."

As much as I wanted to perform and piss off Kira, I just couldn't do it. My stage fright was suddenly coming back to me. I could sing during my singing classes or do improv in my acting classes.

It was back. My stage fright had returned to haunt me once again.

As the sun went down, I headed to the showers. It was strange about not having showers in our bedrooms. It never said that the showers were divided to boy and girl.

I had on my robe and carried my towel in my arm and my shampoo bag in the other.

I walked in there. Some people were showering already. The sounds of a guy and girl giggling were making me a bit uncomfortable, but I shook it off.

Before I got into the shower, I was beginning to sing No Diggity. It was one of the many songs on my iPod.

_It's going down, fade to Blackstreet_

_The homies got RB, collab' creations_

_Bump like acne, no doubt_

_I put it down, never slouch_

_As long as my credit can vouch_

_A dog couldn't catch me ass out_

I got into the shower. The warm water that hit the skin of my body gave me goosebumps. I still continued singing.

_Tell me who can stop when Dre makin' moves_

_Attracting honeys like a magnet_

_Giving 'em eargasms with my mellow accent_

_Still moving this flavor_

_With the homies Blackstreet and Teddy_

_The original rump shakers_

"I knew it!" A voice said that made me jumped.

I turned around and it was Austin. The shower curtain was open and he was naked.

"Dude!" I yelled. I yanked the shower curtain closed, but then he opened it again. "Oh, my God!" I was trying not to stare at him and his naked body.

"You can sing. I just knew it!"

"Yes, I can sing. Now get out."

I turned the water off and leaned up against the tile wall.

"You were singing No Diggity, weren't you?"

"You know that song?"

"Hell yeah. That song is my jam."

"Lovely."

"Can you sing it?"

"Uhh...right now? I kind of have no clothes on me."

"Sing it."

I stood there in silence. "I'm not leaving until you sing."

My heart was beating fast. I'm standing here butt-naked and this guy who's also naked wants me to sing. How much weird could this possibly get?

_Shorty get down, good Lord_,

I started.

_Baby got 'em up open all over town_

_Strictly biz, she don't play around,_

Austin sang along with me.

_Cover much ground, got game by the pound_

_Getting paid is her forte_

_Each and every day, true player way_

_I can't get her out of my mind_

_I think about the girl all the time_

_East side to the west side_

_Pushin' phat rides, it's no surprise_

_She got tricks in the stash_

_Stacking up the cash_

_Fast when it comes to the gas_

_By no means average_

_She's on when she's got to have it_

_Baby, you're a perfect ten, I wanna get in_

_Can I get down, so I can win_

_I like the way you work it,_

sanged Austin.

_No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up,_

I sanged.

_I like the way you work it_

_No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up_

_I like the way you work it_

_No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up_

_I like the way you work it_

_No diggity, I got to bag it up, bag it up_

We stopped singing. I stared at him surprised and a nervous.

"Oh," he said. He handed me a towel. "Here.

"I still need to shower, so..." I gave him the towel back.

"Yeah, sorry for umm...interrupting your shower."

"It's okay."

"I mean I didn't see anything. Well, I kind of did, but wasn't trying to."

"Okay."

Before he went back to his shower, he said, "By the way, you have some pretty breasts."

"Uhh...thanks," I awkwardly said. I blushed a little. "I like your...penis?"

"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment."


	7. Hips Don't Lie

This was insane. Austin had asked me to be in his group for the Big Show Case. Should I do it?

Yesterday, I had to sing a song about sex to him while we were both naked. It seemed weird, but it looked like he had faith in me.

Maybe I can perform in the Big Show Case. I could if I would, right?

I walked to Austin, who was sitting on a stone bench with his laptop on his lap.

"Austin?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"I'll do it. I'll perform."

"Seriously?"

"Under one condition. Don't ever make me sing in shower while the both of us are butt-naked."

"Deal."

"So what do we need to do?" I sat next to him on the stone bench.

"Well, first thing is first, we need more people in our group."

"I got a few people."

"Who?"

"My roommates, Trish and Rosie. They're really talented. They can sing and dance."

"I got my friend, Dez. He can sing, but he's not a good dancer. I also have this freshman, Nelson. He's not that good, but he's really desperate about this. I let him in."

"I'm not either, so we might have a few problems."

"Also, music. What are we gonna sing?"

"I got a bunch of songs on my iPod. Maybe we can use that."

"Okay. You work on the music, while I make up the dance moves."

"You think we can do it?"

"I know we can do it."

—

I talked to Rosie and Trish about our little gig. They agreed to it. Rosie was a little bit too excited when she found out that Dez was in our group.

While this happened, I was working on picking our songs. I was thinking I mashing them up together.

We were in one of the dance studios. All of us were in workout clothes.

"Okay, guys," said Austin. "Raise your hand if you ever performed."

None of us raised our hands up.

"Exactly as I thought. The Big Show Case is a huge deal. It could make us all famous."

"How famous?" asked Trish.

"All record companies would want us all if we win. We must sing and dance perfectly and amazingly. Ally, what song do you have for us?"

"A mash up of Katy Perry's Firework and Empire State of Mind."

"Awesome. Let's do this."

We started practicing, since our performance was in three weeks. I think we had enough time.

All of us were doing good. Nelson and I got a little confused with the dance moves a bit, but we got them again.

After an hour and a half passed, Austin said, "Okay. Let's take a break."

Nelson, Trish, Austin, and I headed to the bathrooms.

—

"Hey, Rosie," said Dez.

"Oh, hi, Dez," Rosie hesitated.

"I'm a bit confused about the dances moves. Could you show me them again?"

"Sure."

Rosie carefully showed him the dance moves. Once Dez did it perfectly, Rosie said, "There you go. You got it!"

"Thanks, Rose. You're a really good dancer."

"I could also do Shakira." Rosie shook her hips a little.

"Impressed."

"Can you do it?"

"I'll try." They started dancing.

Dez sanged:

_Ladies up in here tonight_

_No fighting, no fighting_

_We got the refugees up in here_

_No fighting, no fighting_

_Shakira, Shakira_

_I never really knew that she could dance like this_

_She makes a man wants to speak Spanish_

_Como se llama, si, bonita, si, mi casa, su casa_

_Shakira, Shakira_

Rosie sanged:_ Oh baby when you talk like that_

_You make a woman go mad_

_So be wise and keep on_

_Reading the signs of my body_

_And I'm on tonight_

_You know my hips don't lie_

_And I'm starting to feel it's right_

_All the attraction, the tension_

_Don't you see baby, this is perfection_

Dez:_ Hey Girl, I can see your body moving_

_And it's driving me crazy_

_And I didn't have the slightest idea_

_Until I saw you dancing_

_And when you walk up on the dance floor_

_Nobody cannot ignore the way you move your body, girl_

_And everything so unexpected - the way you right and left it_

_So you can keep on taking it_

_I never really knew that she could dance like this_

_She makes a man want to speak Spanish_

_Como se llama, bonita, mi casa, su casa_

_Shakira, Shakira_

Rosie sanged: _Oh baby when you talk like that_

_You make a woman go mad_

_So be wise and keep on_

_Reading the signs of my body_

_And I'm on tonight_

_You know my hips don't lie_

_And I am starting to feel you boy_

_Come on lets go, real slow_

_Don't you see baby asi es perfecto_

_Oh I know I am on tonight my hips don't lie_

_And I am starting to feel it's right_

_All the attraction, the tension_

_Don't you see baby, this is perfection_

_Oh boy, I can see your body moving_

_Half animal, half man_

_I don't, don't really know what I'm doing_

_But you seem to have a plan_

_My will and self restraint_

_Have come to fail now, fail now_

_See, I am doing what I can, but I can't so you know_

_That's a bit too hard to explain_

_Baila en la calle de noche_

_Baila en la calle de día_

_Baila en la calle de noche_

_Baila en la calle de día_

Dez_: I never really knew that she could dance like this_

_She makes a man want to speak Spanish_

_Como se llama, bonita, mi casa,_

_Shakira, Shakira_

Rosie_: Oh baby when you talk like that_

_You know you got me hypnotized_

_So be wise and keep on_

_Reading the signs of my body_

Dez_: Senorita, feel the conga, let me see you move like you come from Colombia_

_Mira en Barranquilla se baila así, say it!_

_Mira en Barranquilla se baila así_

Dez_: She's so sexy every man's fantasy a refugee like me back with the Fugees from a 3rd world country_

_I go back like when 'pac carried crates for Humpty Humpty_

_I need a whole club dizzy_

_Why the CIA wanna watch us?_

_Colombians and Haitians_

_I ain't guilty, it's a musical transaction_

_No more do we snatch ropes_

_Refugees run the seas 'cause we own our own boats_

Rosie_: I'm on tonight, my hips don't lie_

_And I'm starting to feel you boy_

_Come on let's go, real slow_

_Baby, like this is perfecto_

_Oh, you know I am on tonight and my hips don't lie_

_And I am starting to feel it's right_

_The attraction, the tension_

_Baby, like this is perfection_

Dez_: No fighting_

Rosie_: No fighting_

—

Austin and I came back into the studio. We found Dez holding Rosie up onto his leg. Their faces would right at each other.

"What are y'all doing?" asked Austin.

Dez puts Rosie down and they looked at us.

"I was just showing Dez that dance again," said Rosie.

"That wasn't even one of our dances." I informed them.

"Yeah," said Dez. "I'm gonna go get a drink."

That was their excuse. I just knew that those lovebirds were dancing together.


	8. Round One

Three weeks have passed. Tonight was the night of the first round of the Big Show Case.

We praticed enough. I think we'll be good enough. We were backstage with our outfits on.

Our group was called the A Team. I didn't know why. We just picked that name for an unknown reason. It was the one name that suited us very well.

The outfits we had on were simple. Dez had on a bkue shirt, black jacket, and black pants. I had on a white button-up shirt and short black pants. Trish had on a black pants and black long-sleeved shirt. Rosie had on a black suit like Sandy from Grease. Austin was wearing black jean, black t-shirt, and an unbuttoned dark blue button-up shirt. And Nelson had on a full black outift. We were all trying to match.

Our opponents were the Fighting Rileys, Everything Stinks, English Prisoners, X-Riders, and the Dancing Queens, also known as Kira's group.

I don't know what's going to happen tonight. If I could predict it, I would say that we win. I just want to show people what we can do. We were more than just a couple of faces in the crowd.

"What's up, people," said Jimmy. "Welcome to the 17th Annual Big Show Case!"

Everybody was cheering.

"We have a lot of great, talented, and amazing people performing tonight. First, we have the X-Riders."

The X-Riders were all right. I wouldn't say they were good. Just that one of their voices weren't great and their dance moves were tacky.

"Next up, we have the Dancing Queens!" Oh, great.

Kira, Cassidy, and Tilly were in pretty outifts. They had on black shorts, pinks tanktops, and pink high-tops.

La la la la La la la la La la la la

Tilly sang: _I want you to love me, like I'm a hot ride _

_Be thinkin' of me, doin' what you like_

_So boy forget about the world cause it's gon' be me and you tonight_

_I'm gonna make your bed for ya, then imma make you swallow your prideoooohh_

_Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world_

_Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love_

_Like I'm the only one who knows your heart_

_Only girl in the world...Like I'm the only one that's in command_

_Cause I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man, yeah_

_Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world_

_Like I'm the only one that you'll ever loveLike I'm the only one who knows your heart_

_Only one..._

Kira sang: _Want you to take it like a thief in the night _

_Hold me like a pillow, make me feel right_

_Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin', you can come inside_

_And when you enter, you ain't leavin', be my prisoner for the night, oh_  
_Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world_

_Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love_

_Like I'm the only one who knows your heart_

_Only girl in the world...Like I'm the only one that's in command_

_Cuz I'm the only one who understands, like I'm the only one who knows your heart, only one..._

The song started changing.

Cassidy sang:

_You shout it loud, but I can't hear a word you say _

_I'm talking loud, not saying much_

_I'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet_

_you shoot me down, but I get up_  
_I'm bulletproof, nothing to losefire away, fire away_

_ricochet, you take your aimfire away, fire away_

_you shoot me down, but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

_you shoot me down, but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

_Stone hard, machine gun_

_Fire up the ones who run_

Kira sang: _Stone hard, as bulletproof glass  
You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

_You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

_You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

_You shoot me down, but I won't fall_

_I am titanium_

Everyone applauded for them. That's great. We have to be amazing.

Once they went backstage, they passed us.

"See if you can beat that." said Kira.

"All right, guys," said Austin. "Let's do this."

"Now we have the A Team."

We walked on stage. Everyone cheered for us. I was a bit nervous, but I'm ready to go. The music started. M hands gripped my microphone tightly.

Austin rapped: _Yeah,  
Yeah, Imma up at Brooklyn,  
Now I'm down in Tribeca,  
Right next to DeNiro,  
But I'll be hood forever,  
I'm the new Sinatra,  
And since I made it here,  
I can make it anywhere,  
Yeah they love me everywhere,  
I used to cop in Harlem,  
All of my dominicanos  
Right there up on broadway,  
_Nelson rapped: _Brought me back to that McDonalds,  
Took it to my stash spot,  
Five Sixty Stage street,  
Catch me in the kitchen like a simmons whipping pastry,  
Cruising down 8th street,  
Off white lexus,  
Driving so slow but BK is from Texas,  
Me I'm up at Bedsty,  
Home of that boy Biggie,  
Now I live on billboard,  
And I brought my boys with me,  
Say wat up to Ty Ty, still sipping Malta  
Sitting courtside Knicks and Nets give me high fives,  
N-gga I be spiked out, I can trip a referee,  
Tell by my attitude that I most definitely from... _

Trish sang: _In New York,  
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,  
There's nothing you can't do,  
Now you're in New York,  
These streets will make you feel brand new,  
Big lights will inspire you,  
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York_

Dez rapped: _I made you hot n-gga,  
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game,  
Sh-t I made the yankee hat more famous than a yankee can,  
You should know I bleed Blue, but I aint a crip tho,  
But I got a gang of n-ggas walking with my click though,  
Welcome to the melting pot,  
Corners where we selling rocks,  
Afrika bambaataa sh-t,  
Home of the hip hop,  
Yellow cap, gypsy cap, dollar cab, holla back,  
For foreigners it aint fitted they forgot how to act,  
8 million stories out there and their naked,  
Cities is a pity half of y'all won't make it,  
Me I gotta plug Special Ed "I got it made,"  
If Jesus payin LeBron, I'm paying Dwayne Wade,  
3 dice cee-lo  
3 card marley,  
Labor day parade, rest in peace Bob Marley,  
Statue of Liberty, long live the World trade,  
Long live the king yo,  
I'm from the empire state that's... _

Rosie sang: _In New York,  
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,  
There's nothing you can't do,  
Now you're in New York,  
These streets will make you feel brand new,  
Big lights will inspire you,  
Lets here it for New York, New York, New York  
Welcome to the bright light... _

She kept singing Awww. Then, he changes the beat of Katy Perry's Firework. I was singing the part.

I sang: _You just gotta ignite the light, and let it shine  
Just own the night like the Fourth of July_

'Cause baby, you're a firework  
Come on, show 'em what you're worth  
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"  
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework  
Come on, let your colors burst  
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!",  
You're gonna leave 'em falling down oh oh

I looked into the crowd. Everybody was cheering and whistling. This was my moment to shine.

_Boom, boom, boom  
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon  
It's always been inside of you, you, you  
And now it's time you let it through-ooh-ooh_

_'Cause baby, you're a firework_  
_Come on, show 'em what you're worth_  
_Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"_  
_As you shoot across the sky-y-y_

Rosie and Trish joined in. _Baby, you're a firework  
Come on, let your colors burst  
Make 'em go "oh, oh, oh!"  
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe awe awe_

_Boom, boom, boom_  
_Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon_  
_Boom, boom, boom_  
_Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon_

The music ended. The audience stood up and applauded for us. We smiled at the crowd. Then, all of us walked to backstage.

After the rest of the groups, Jimmy said, " Since this is the first round, two groups have got to go. The four groups that will be moving onto the next round are..." All of us held hands. "Everything Stinks...Dancing Queens...English Prisoners...and the A Team!"

We shouted with cheer and hugged each other.

Kira and her blondies came up to us. "Don't get so happy," said Kira. "It's the first round. Only the beginning. See you on stage in the next few weeks."

They walked away. "Lord Jesus," groaned Rosie. "That girl needs a high five...in the face."

"With a chair." added Nelson.

"A stone chair." added Dez.


	9. Just Give Me A Reason

We did good in a round one. Now we have to be great in round two. I've been working on which songs we should do for Round Two. I got it already. I must say it's gonna be awesome.

All of us were in the studio praticing again. They all liked the song I picked out. We wermc very specific on our choice of songs. We all had different tastes in music, but we eventually found two songs that we all could rock out to.

After we stopped dancing for an hour and a half, Austin said, "Okay, guys. That was a great practice. We'll practice again tomorrow. See you later."

Dez, Trish, Nelson, and Rosie left. I stayed behind to talk to Austin about something.

"Austin, can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure, Alls," she said. "What's up?"

"Did you perform in the Big Show Case last year?"

"Yeah, I did."

"What happened?"

"Do you know T-Fame?"

"T-Fame. I love him! He's one of my my favorite singers of all time."

"He used to go to this school. His real name is Trent and he's a douchbag."

"What does Trent have anything to do with the Big Show Case?"

"We were both in the last round. My song was a mashup of Party Rock Anthem, Don't You Forget About You, and Don't Stop The Music."

"That sounds like a great song."

"It was. Anyways. Trent was performing before me. He stole my song."

"He stole it?"

"Yep. He sang it the same way I did and the exact same moves I had."

"What did you do for your performance?"

"I didn't sing."

"Nothing at all?"

"I stood there and didn't do anything. It was so humiliated."

He leaned onto the piano and hid his face in his arms.

"Austin?"

"What?"

"Was that the reason why you stopped performing?"

He lifted his head up. "How could I ever get back on stage and doing what I love doing after what happened?"

"Austin, I used to have stage fright."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but...after I entered this school, my stage fright just disappeared."

"Well, I just pretended that that never happened. But everyday it comes back and haunts me forever."

"Trent won, didn't he?"

"Yep. Kira dumped me for him."

"I thought you dumped her."

"Nope. I was the dumpee. She's the princess of the school. Kira does and gets whatever she wants."

"What about school? Is she the princess of the school?"

"According to King Jimmy, yes."

"King?"

"Kira is Kira Starr."

"But isn't that Jimmy's-Oh, she's his daughter!"

Austin nodded.

"This was my one chance to get back in the spotlight. My dad always told me that music was a waste of time. I just wanted to prove him wrong."

"You can. Don't you know who you are?! Austin Moon! You're talented, you know that?"

"People say I am."

"I know you are."

He sat on the piano chair. Austin started playing it. The song seemed very familiar. I know!

Ally: _Right from the start_

_You were a thief_

_You stole my heart_

_And I your willing victim_

_I let you see the parts of me_

_That weren't all that pretty_

_And with every touch_

_You fixed them_

_Now youve been talking in your sleep_

_Uh, oh_

_Things you never say to me_

_Uh oh_

_Tell me that you've had enough of our love_

_Our love_

_Just give me a reason_

_Just a little bits enough_

_Just a second, we're not broken_

_Just bent and we can learn_

_To love again_

_It's in the stars_

_It's been written in the scars_

_Of our hearts_

_We're not broken, just bent_

_And we can learn to love again_

_Austin:_

_I'm sorry, I don't understand_

_Where all of this is coming from_

_I thought that we were fine_

_Ally:_

_Oh, we had everything_

_Austin.:_

_You're head is running wild again_

_My dear, we still have everythin'_

_And it's all in your mind_

_Ally:_

_Yeah, but this is happenin'_

_Austin:_

_You've been having real bad dreams_

_Uh oh_

_You used to lay so close to me_

_Uh oh_

_There's nothing more than empty sheets between our love_

_Our love_

_Oh, our love, our love_

I laid on top of the piano. For some reason, I feel like I'm in a porno as I moved on the piano seductively.

_Both:_

_Just give me a reason_

_Just a little bits enough_

_Just a second, we're not broken_

_Just bent and we can learn to love again_

_Austin.:_

_I never stopped_

_You're still written in the scars on my heart_

_Both:_

_You're not broken, just bent_

_And we can learn to love again_

_Ally:_

_Oh tear ducts in her eyes_

_Austin.:_

_I can fix it for her_

_Ally:_

_We're collecting dust_

_But our loves enough_

_Austin.:_

_You're holding it in_

_Ally:_

_You're pouring a drink_

_Austin.:_

_Oh, nothing is as bad as it seems_

I rolled onto my stomach and I was face to face with Austin_._

_Ally:_

_We'll come clean_

_Both:_

_Just give me a reason_

_Just a little bits enough_

_Just a second, we're not broken_

_Just bent, and we can learn to love again_

_It's in the stars_

_It's been written in the scars on our hearts_

_That we're not broken, just bent_

_And we can learn to love again_

_Just give me a reason_

_Just a little bits enough_

_Just a second, we're not broken_

_Just bent, and we can learn to love again_

_It's in the stars_

_It's been written in the scars on our hearts_

_That we're not broken, just bent_

_And we can learn to love again_

_Ally:_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_We can learn to love again_

_Oh_

_Can learn to love again_

_Oh, oh_

_That we're not broken,_

_Just bent and we can learn to love again_

The music stopped. Austin and I were gazing into each other's eyes.

I leaned closely to Austin. He leaned closer and kissed me.

Oh my God! He's kissing me. I was kissing him back.

My hands gripped his neck. Austin stood up from the chair and hopped onto the piano. My eyes closed for the moment.

I found myself looking up at the ceiling. Austin was on top of me and I was on my back on the piano.

His hard body was on me. As my hand felt the hardness of his chest, it felt right. I felt his smooth skin right through his shirt. A thin layer of fat covered his muscles. I felt his hands go up my skin on my back. As we kissed, I realized that we were kissing French style.

We stopped. Both of us gazed into each other's eyes.

"Wow," he breathed.

"Uhh..." I said. "I-I gotta go."

I pushed him off me and got onto my feet.

"Ally," said Austin. "Don't think that this will change between us."

"I know. Just...I gotta go."

I grabbed my bag and left.


	10. Round 2

The second round has begun. We were backstage in our costumes. Trish, Rosie, and my outfits were kind of slutty, but we look hot. The guys had on some clothes that make them look like rappers.

Rosie had on a black shirt and a black skirt with a long veil around her waist, and one of those black top hats. Trish was wearing a black jumpsuit that was able to light up when you turn it on. I had on a black ball gown dress with a black jacket, but I won't be in a dress for long.

"Welcome to Round Two of the 17th Annual Big Show Case!" said Jimmy. "Now may I introduce the Dancing Queens."

Kira, Cassidy, and Tilly were in sparkly outfits. Tilly and Cassidy were wearing silver, while Kira was wearing gold.

Their music started.

Cassidy sang: _I wanna hold em like they do in Texas please_

_Fold em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me, I love it_

_Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start_

_And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_Can't read my, can't read my_

_No he can't read my poker face_

_(She's got to love nobody)_

_Can't read my, can't read my_

_No he can't read my poker face_

_(She's got to love nobody)_

_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face_

_(Mum mum mum mah)_

_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face_

_(Mum mum mum mah)_

Tilly sang: _I wanna roll with him a hard pair we will be_

_A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it_

_Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun_

_And baby when it's love if it's not rough it isn't fun, fun_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_Can't read my, can't read my_

_No he can't read my poker face_

_(She's got to love nobody)_

_Can't read my, can't read my_

_No he can't read my poker face_

_(She's got to love nobody)_

_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face_

_(Mum mum mum mah)_

_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face_

_(Mum mum mum mah)_

_(Mum mum mum mah)_

_(Mum mum mum mah)_

The song started changing.

_Yes!_

_It's so crazy right now!_

_Most incredibly, it's ya girl, Bee,_

_It's ya boy, young._

_You ready?_

_Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no_

_Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no_

_Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no_

_Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no_

_Yea, history in the making,_

_Part 2, it's so crazy right now_

Kira sang: _I look and stare so deep in your eyes, _

_I touch on you more and more every time,_

_When you leave I'm begging you not to go,_

_Call your name two or three times in a row,_

_Such a funny thing for me to try to explain,_

_How I'm feeling and my pride is the one to blame._

_'Cause I know I don't understand,_

_Just how your love your doing no one else can._

_Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's_

_Got me looking so crazy right now (in love)_

_Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch_

_Got me looking so crazy right now (your touch)_

_Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss_

_Got me hoping you'll save me right now_

_Looking so crazy in love's,_

_Got me looking, got me looking so crazy in love_

It ended. Their song was great. Everybody applauded for them.

After Dancing Queens was the English Prisoners. They did a mashup of S&M by Rhianna and All I Do is Win by DJ Khaled.

It was our turn. The snapping to our music started.

_Where's all my soul sista's. Let me hear your flow sista._

_Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister_

_Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister_

Rosie:

_He met Marmalade down in old Moulin Rouge_

_Strutting her stuff on the street_

_She said, hello, hey Joe_

_You wanna give it a go, oh_

_Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da (hey hey hey)_

_Gitchi gitchi ya ya hee (hee oh)_

_Mocca chocolata ya ya (ooh yeah)_

_Creole Lady Marmalade (ohh)_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir (oh oh)_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (yeah yeah yeah yeah)_

Trish:

_He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up_

_Boy drank all that magnolia wine_

_On her black satin sheets_

_Is where he started to freak, yeah_

_Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da (da da yeah)_

_Gitchi gitchi ya ya hee (ooh yeah yeah)_

_Mocca chocolata ya ya (yeah, yeah)_

_Creole Lady Marmalade, uh_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir (ce soir)_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ooh)_

The music started changing. It was Dez and Nelson's turn.

_Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity_

_To seize everything you ever wantedâ€¦One moment_

_Would you capture it or just let it slip?_

Nelson: _His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy_

_There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti_

_He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready_

_To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgettin_

_What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud_

_He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out_

_He's chokin, how everybody's jokin now_

_The clock's run out, time's up over, blao!_

_Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity_

_Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked_

_He's so mad, but he won't give up that easy_

Dez: _No, He won't have it, he knows his whole backs of these ropes ropes_

_It don't matter, he's dope_

_He knows that, but he's broke_

_He's so stacked that he knows_

_When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's_

_Back to the lab again yo_

_This whole rapsody_

_He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him_

_You better lose yourself in the music, the moment_

_You own it, you better never let it go_

_You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow_

_This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo_

The music was changing back to Lady Marmalade. It was Austin and my part now.

Austin:

_Yeah, yeah, aw_

_We come through with the money and the garter belts_

_Let 'em know we 'bout that cake, straight out the gate_

_They're independent women, some mistake them for whores_

_I'm saying, why spend mine when I can spend yours_

Disagree, well that's you and I'm sorry

_I'ma keep playing these cats out_

Rosie: _like Atari!_

Austin: _They wear high heeled shoes, getting love from the Jews_

_Three bad ass chicks from_

Trish_: the Moulin Rouge_

Austin: _They drink wine with diamonds in the glass_

_By the case, the meaning of expensive taste_

_We wanna gitchi gitchi ya ya (come on)_

_Mocca chocolata (what)_

_Creole Lady Marmalade_

_One more time, come on now_

_Marmalade (ooh)_

_Lady Marmalade (ooh yeah)_

_Marmalade (ohh)_

I sang:

_Hey, hey, hey_

_Touch of her skin feeling silky smooth, oh_

_Color of cafe au lait, alright_

_Made the savage beast inside_

_Roar until he cried_

_More, more, more_

Trish:

_Now he's back home doing nine to five (nine to five)_

Rosie:

_Living a gray flannel life_

I sang:

_But when he turns off to sleep, memories keep_

_More, more, more_

_Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da (da da)_

_Gitchi gitchi ya ya hee (ohh)_

_Mocca chocolata ya ya (ooh)_

_Creole Lady Marmalade_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir (ce soir)_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (all my sisters, yeah)_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir (ce soir)_

_Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ohh)_

Rosie, Trish & I sang: _Creole Lady Marmalade! Ooooh, yes!_

After the music stopped, everyone cheered for us.


	11. Punishment

After Everything Stinks, all of us gathered on stage.

"Okay, everybody," said Jimmy. "The votes are in. Two leave, and two go! Now the two groups that will be moving onto Round Two are..."

The moment of truth.

"Dancing Queen!" Ugh! "And...the A Team!"

We cheered and screamed. All of us hugged.

"Three weeks from now will be the final round of the Big Show Case. Which one of them will be the winner? Also, we have a surprised guest coming to the final round. It is last year's winner, the one, the only, T-Fame!"

T-Fame? Him? I looked at Austin. The look on his face became furious.

"T-Fame will return and perform live! See y'all soon!"

As we walked off stage, Austin stomped to the very back of backstage.

"Is Austin all right?" asked Rosie.

"Yeah," I said. "I'll go talk to him."

I found at the corner. He was angrily pacing back and forth.

"Austin..." I said.

"I can't do this!" He screamed. I never heard Austin get so mad. "Ally, I can't do IT!"

"Aust-"

"He's a fake! Nothing but a fake! I won't perform with him around! He's-"

I grabbed him and forcefully kissed him. After a few moments passed, I stopped.

"Why did you do that?" He calmly asked.

"To shut you up."

"Oh."

"Austin, look. It was a year ago, okay? I know what Trent did, but it happened. Nothing you can do. You can't go back and changed what happened."

"He put me through a shit, Ally! T-Fame ruined me!"

"Ruined you?"

"He took my song! He took my girlfriend! He took my dream!"

"We all have dreams, Austin! You're not the only one who has dreams of making it!"

"Maybe we should just give up."

"Give up? That's it? Just give up?"

"What's the point of all this, Ally? Like we ever had a chance of beating Kira anyways."

"Maybe we do."

"We don't. We never could in the first place."

"Then, why did you form this group together in the first place?"

"To show people what we can really do! I'm tired of being just another face in the crowd. I want to be someone."

"That's it. It's always been about you, Austin. Not me. Not Trish. Not Nelson, Rosie, or Dez." I started to walk away. "I don't even know why I joined this group!"

"Then, why the hell did you do it in the first place?"

I snapped at him. "For you!" A moment of silence passed. I calmly said, " I-I did it for you."

I walked away.

Austin Moon was the most selfish person in the world. He didn't make this about us. He made it about him. It was all about him in the first place.

After I headed to the halls, I found my friends.

Trish asked, "Ally, is everything okay?"

"I don't know," I said. "I just don't know, Trish."

Suddenly, Kira and her Barbie dolls came to us.

"I must say I'm very impressed with all of y'all." said Kira.

"Kira, we're not in the mood for your so-called insults right now," I said.

"Before you go, Ally, I have a present gor you."

She had a bag in her hand. I snatched it from her hand and opened it. It was a pillow.

"A pillow?" I said.

"Yeah. So you won't be tried from lying on your back all day with Austin."

Her and her friends started laughing. I threw the bag and the pillow down.

"Screw you, Kira!"

Kira pushed me. I was going to walk away, but I was going to.

"What are you do about it, bitch?" Kira said.

I charged towards her. We both slammed into the wall and fell on the floor.

"Hey, control that thing!" said Cassidy.

"That's it!" said Rosie. She tackled Cassidy to the floor as well. Trish and Tilly were pushing each other, punching, and slapping.

Kira and I had each other by the throats. All of the oxygen I had left in my lungs was starting to give out. Before the air inside of me disappeared, I slammed my forehead against Kira. Our hands let go.

She started grabbed me by the hair. I started to punch her in the face.

I heard whistling coming towards us.

A pair of arms yanked Kira away from me. Another pair of arms dragged me away.

Some of the security guards were breaking up the fights. It was difficult for them to drag Rosie away. It took three of them to hold her down.

When the fighting stopped, all six of us were escorted to Jimmy's office.

Kira, Tilly, and Cassidy were the first to go in. Trish, Rosie, and I waiting outisde of Jimmy's office.

"Guys, I'm sorry," I said.

"We don't blame you, Alls," said Trish.

"Yeah," said Rosie. "I finally got to kick Cassidy's ass."

"It's just that...Austin wants to give up because of T-Fame."

"T-Fame?" said Rosie.

"He beat Austin last year." I explained. "T-Fame stole his song and Austin just did nothing. It was upset about this. He made it all about himself. It made me so-"

The door opened. Jimmy appeared. "Girls, come in."

The three of us walked in and sat down.

"Listen, girls." sighed Jimmy. "I'm extremely disappointed in all of us. Especially you, Ally. From your school records, you have never gotten in trouble. Except for that one time in third grade, you went to the bathroom without a hallpass."

"I had diarrehea that day," I explained.

"TMI," murmured Trish.

"Girls, fighting is not allowed in this school. I could have y'all suspended."

"What about Kira?" asked Rosie.

"Kira wasn't the one who started the fight."

"Wait. What?" I said.

"Are you saying that Ally started the fight?" asked Trish.

"I don't think. I know."

"That doesn't make any sense. Just because they told you doesn't mean they're telling the truth. Kira pushed me first, so technically, she started it." I said.

"What now?" asked Rosie.

"Like I just said all three of y'all could be suspended."

"No, please!" I said. "Don't blame Trish and Rosie for this. I started it. Could you let them off with a warning?"

"Are you sure, Ally?" asked Jimmy.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, Ally, since this is your first time you get in trouble, I won't suspend you. But I will punish you."

"What's the punishment?"

"You will not participate in the final round in the Big Show Case."

"What?" Rosie and Trish said.

My jaw dropped. "No." I said under my breath.

"The end of the final round." said Jimmy.

"Is there-"

"Til the _end _of the final round. Now go."

We left and headed back to our dorm room.

"Alls, we're sorry." said Trish.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Rosie. "We need you."

"It's okay." I whimpered. "I'll be there cheering you guys on."

"Ally, we can't do it without you." said Rosie.

"Well, Austin thinks so. He never wanted to do it anyways."

"That doesn't mean you can't do it either." said Trish.

"Guys, it's done with. It's over. Jimmy said I can't participate. You guys will do great without me. I'm just gonna take a walk."

I put my jacket on and started walking through the hallways of the school.

Was this the end of the A Team? Maybe it was.

I knew Kira would do anything to win. But I never thought she would go this far. She broke us apart. That bitch finally got what she wanted after all.

My dreams were over. One of the worst things of all was that I lost Austin.

He may have been a jerk earlier, but he has the same dream as me. Austin dreamt of becoming famous and making music like me. We had so much in common. We both love music and we just wanted to prove to everyone here that we can make it.

W-Was I falling for Austin? He was so hilarious, so handsome, so talented, so fun, and so amazing. I could never think of any guy before him.

So it was true. I, Ally Dawson, am in love with Austin Moon.

What about the Big Show Case? Should I do it?

As I walked through the halls, a song came to me. I sang:

_She's just a girl and she's on fire _

_Hotter than a fantasy, lonely like a highway_

_She's living in a world and it's on fire_

_Filled with catastrophe, but she knows she can fly away_

_Ohhhh oh oh oh oh_

_She got both feet on the ground_

_And she's burning it down_

_Ohhhh oh oh oh oh_

_She's got her head in the clouds_

_And she's not backing down_

_This girl is on fire..._

_This girl is on fire..._

_She's walking on fire..._

_This girl is on fire..._

_Looks like a girl, but she's a flame_

_So bright, she can burn your eyes_

_Better look the other way_

_You can try but you'll never forget her name_

_She's on top of the world_

_Hottest of the hottest girls say_  
_ Ohhhh oh oh oh_

_We got our feet on the ground_

_And we're burning it down_

_Ohhhh oh oh oh oh_

_Got our head in the clouds_

_And we're not coming down_

_This girl is on fire..._

_This girl is on fire..._

_She's walking on fire..._

_This girl is on fire..._

_Everybody stares, as she goes by'_

_Cause they can see the flame that's in her eyes_

_Watch her when she's lighting up the night_

_Nobody knows that she's a lonely girl_

_And it's a lonely world_

_But she gon' let it burn, baby, burn, baby_

_This girl is on fire..._

_This girl is on fire..._

_She's walking on fire..._

_This girl is on fire..._

_Oh, oh, oh, oh ohhhhh oh oh oh ohhh oh oh oh ohhhh..._

_Oh, oh, oh, oh ohhhhh oh oh oh ohhh oh oh oh ohhhh..._

_Oh, oh, oh, oh ohhhhh oh oh oh ohhh oh oh oh ohhhh..._

_Oh, oh, oh, oh ohhhhh oh oh oh ohhh oh oh oh ohhhh..._

_She's just a girl and she's on fire_

I know what I must do. I have to do it. Kira will do anything to win the Big Show Case. And I'm not letting Kira take us down without a fight.


	12. Final Round

My plan was working so far. Austin had gotten back in. His exact words were "I let the past go. It's time to live in the present. Let's show them what we're made of."

Rosie and Trish had informed him that I can't participate. Austin seemed so upset, but he was still going to perform.

I gave them the songs. They're gonna be great. We can beat them all right.

The final round had begun.

All of them except Austin knew I was going to perform. We all had our outfits on, which was our clothes color: red and black.

Austin had on a red jacket, white shirt, and black pants. Rosie had on a black shirt, black vest, and red pants. Nelson had regular jeans, and a red and black t-shirt. Trish was wearing a red sleeve-less, button-up shirt with those long things that you can tie into a knot, a black tanktop, and black pants. Dez was wearing a red shirt, black jacket, and black pants. I had on a red dress with thin straps with black fishnet tights on and black shorts.

"Hey, everyone," said Jimmy. "Welcome to the final round of the Big Show Case. Tonight we have our two final groups. The Dancing Queens and the A Team!"

Everyone cheered.

"Without further a do, may I introduce Kira Starr, Cassidy Hartly, and Tilly Thompson. The Dancing Queens!"

All three of them walked on stage. Their music started.

Cassidy: O_h, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'_

_Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her tryin'_

_She's so beautiful_

_And I tell her everyday_

_Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her, she won't believe me_

_And it's so, it's so sad to think that she don't see what I see_

_But every time she asks me do I look okay?_

_I say_

All of them: _When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

_'Cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile_

_The whole world stops and stares for awhile_

_'Cause girl, you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

Their music was changing. It changed into a fast song.

Kira: M_amma told me not to waste my life_

_She said spread your wings my little butterfly_

_Don't let what they say keep you up at night_

_And if they give you shh..._

_Then they can walk on by_

All: _Mamma told me not to waste my life_

_She said spread your wings my little butterfly_

_Don't let what they say keep you up at night_

_And they can't detain you_

_'Cos wings are made to fly_

_And we don't let nobody bring us down_

_No matter what you say it won't hurt me_

_Don't matter if I fall from the sky_

_These wings are made to fly_

The song was changing again.

Tilly: _Don't be a drag, just be a queen_

_Whether you're broke or evergreen_

_You're black, white, beige, chola descent_

_You're lebanese, you're orient_

_Whether life's disabilities_

_Left you outcast, bullied, or teased_

_Rejoice and love yourself today_

_'Cause baby you were born this way_

All: _No matter gay, straight, or bi,_

_Lesbian, transgendered life_

_I'm on the right track baby_

_I was born to survive_

_No matter black, white or beige_

_Chola or orient made_

_I'm on the right track baby_

_I was born to be brave._

_I'm beautiful in my way_

_'Cause God makes no mistakes_

_I'm on the right track baby_

_I was born this way_

_Don't hide yourself in regret_

_Just love yourself and you're set_

_I'm on the right track baby_

_I was born this way_

_I was born this way hey!_

_I was born this way hey!_

_I'm on the right track baby_

_I was born this way hey!_

_I was born this way hey!_

_I was born this way hey!_

_I'm on the right track baby_

_I was born this way hey!_

Once their music stopped, everybody applauded for them. After they walked off stage, Jimmy came back.

"Weren't they great? Okay, so we have the next group of performers! They're the rebels of MUNY, the Ying to the Yang, they put the hip to the hop! I give you…the A Team!"

As my friends walked on stage, I stayed behind the curtains. I had to wait for Trish and Rosie to open them for me.

_Hey, hey, hey, hey!_

_Oh, oh_

Nelson: _Won't you come see about me?_

_I'll be alone, dancing, you know it baby_

_Tell me your troubles and doubts_

_Giving me everything inside and out_

Trish: A_nd love's strange so real in the dark_

_Think of the tender things that we were working on_

_Slow change may pull us apart_

_When the light gets into your heart, baby_

All: _Don't you forget about me_

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_Don't you forget about me_

Dez_: Will you stand above me?_

_Look my way, never love me_

_Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling_

_Down, down, down_

_Don't you forget about me_

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_Don't you forget about me_

Rosie: _As you walk on by_

_Will you call my name?_

_As you walk on by_

_Will you call my name?_

_When you walk away_

_Or will you walk away?_

_Will you walk on by?_

_Come on, call my name_

_Will you call my name?_

_I say, la la la_

The music transformed into You Make Me Feel.

Rosie and Trish: _Na na na na na_

_Na na na na na_

_Na na na na na_

_Na na na na na_

Austin: _Girl I been all over the world_

_Looking for you_

_I'm known for taking what I think I deserve_

_And you're overdue_

_And if you you listen you can hear me through the radio_

_In that bright white noise_

_What I've been missing in my life_

_What I been dreaming of_

_You'll be that girl_

_You'll be that girl_

_You'll be_

Rosie and Trish removed the curtains. They revealed me.

I sang: _Everything you want_

_So let me get up there_

_I'm the baddest baby in the atmosphere_

"Ally," breathed Austin. He smiled at me.

_Tell me what you want so we can do just what you like_

Rosie, with her upper arm strength, lifted me onto her shoulder. After she put me back on my feet next to Austin, Nelson spun me around and Dez ripped the skirt of my dress off to reveal my pants. My red top was now a sparkly tanktop.

Austin & I: _You make me feel that_

_Na na na na na_

_You make me feel so_

_Na na na na na_

_You make me feel that_

_Na na na na na_

_You make me feel so_

_Na na na na na_

_You make me feel that_

Austin: _Get a little closer to me, girl_

_And you'll understand_

_'Cause if you want a guy that knows what you need_

_Well, then I'm your man_

_And if I listen I can hear you through my radio_

_In that bright white noise_

_What I've been missing in my life_

_What I been dreaming of_

_You'll be that girl_

_You'll be that girl_

_You'll be_

I sang:_ Everything you want_

_So let me get up there_

_I'm the baddest baby in the atmosphere_

_Tell me what you want so we can do just what you like_

_Everything you know I'm flipping upside down_

_Take you 'round the world_

_You know I like it loud_

_Tell me what you want 'cuz_

_We can do just what you like_

It changed again. This time it was Don't Stop Believin'.

Trish: _Workin' hard to get my fill_

_Everybody wants a thrill_

Nelson: _Payin' anything to roll the dice,_

_Just one more time_

Dez: _Some will win, some will lose_

_Some were born to sing the blues_

Rosie:_ Oh, the movie never ends_

_It goes on and on and on and on_

All:_ Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard_

_Their shadows searching in the night_

_Streetlights people, living just to find emotion_

_Hiding, somewhere in the night._

Austin and I hopped up to the top stage.

We sang: _Put your hands up_

_Put your hands up_

_Let the lights drop_

_Let the lights drop_

_Make my world stop_

_Make my world stop_

_La La La La La_

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel so!_

Austin flipped me in front of him and I jumped onto my feet. We ran back to the center of the stage with the rest of our friends singing our songs all together.

Austin & I: _La La La La La_

_You make me feel so_

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel so_

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel so_

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel, oh_

Dez & Rosie: _Don't Stop Believin'_

_Hold onto that feeling_

_Streetlight people!_

Nelson & Trish: I_ say, la la la la la, la la la la la na na na na na._

Austin spun me around and dipped me.

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel so_

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel so_

_La La La La La_

_You make me feel so_

_La La La La La_

It was over. We did an amazing performance. Everybody, literally everybody, got up from their seats and cheered for us.

We got in a group hug and smiled at the crowd as they chanted our name.

A Team! A Team! A Team! A Team! A Team! A Team! A Team!


	13. T-Fake

"They were incredible, weren't they?" said Jimmy.

We all walked off stage.

"Ally," said Austin. He then lifted me off of my feet and spun around in circles.

After he put me down, he said, "I thought you couldn't perform."

"I couldn't, but I mostly couldn't let you guys down."

"Don't you know how much trouble you could get into?"

"I do…but it was all worth it."

I leaned in and kissed him. He gently kissed me back. We stopped. He murmured, "Seriously worth it." I laughed.

"So, are you two together now?" asked Rosie.

"Yeah, Rose," said Austin.

"So are we," said Dez. The brunette an the redhead were holding hands and showed us.

"Oh, my gosh!" I gasped.

"I love the redheads." said Rosie.

"And I like a girl with a strong grip," said Dez.

"We're dating too," said Nelson.

Before he could wrap his arm around Trish's shoulder, Trish said, "No, we're not."

"I know we're not." Nelson pulled his arm back. All of us gathered us into a group hug.

"Hey, Austin," said a voice.

We stopped hugging. Austin and I turned to our right and saw him.

It was Trent, also known as T-Lame. He had on his white suit with black button-up shirt and white fedora. Kira was with him. He had his arm over her shoulder.

"Trent," said Austin.

"Good to see my favorite Blondie again. By the way, lovely performance you did there. One of the best I've seen so far."

"Are you still gonna keep your little act?"

"I don't know. How much longer do I got?"

"If I ask Rosie to beat this shit out of you, not so long."

"Calm down, Aussy. If this is about last year—"

"It's Austin. Last year was just last year. I had my chance and you took it from me. I have another chance now."

"Don't listen to him, baby." Kira said to Trent. She noticeably kisses Trent in front of us.

After she stops, Trent asks, "Still miss her, Moon?"

"Nope. I got someone else now." Austin's hand gripped my hand.

"Oh, yeah. Well, it's my turn to perform. See you in a minute." said Trent.

Trent and Kira were heading to the stage. Before they could, I stopped Kira.

"Hey, Kira," I said.

"Yes?"

"You did a great job. You don't know how proud your dad is of you."

"Thank you, Ally. You guys were great too."

I left to stand with my friends.

"Why were you being so nice to her?" asked Trish.

"She may have been a…what's the word?" I said.

"A bitch?" said Austin.

"A monster?" said Nelson.

"A diva?" said Rosie.

"Yeah. All of that. But Kira worked as hard as us. She's really talented. She has the same dream as us."

"You're a good sport, All," said Rosie.

"Now everybody," said Jimmy. "We have had a tremendous show this year. Last year's winner, Trent Jackson, also known as T-Fame, is here tonight!"

Everyone cheered for the singer.

"Now singing one of his biggest hits, Got it Too, here he is! I give you T-Fame!"

Trent appeared. His music started.

_Whatever it is I got it_

_Don't know what to call it_

_There's no way to hide it_

_Yeah I Got It too_

_Whatever it is I got it_

_Don't know what to call it_

_There's no way around it_

_Yeah I Got It too_

_Who-o-oa._

Suddenly, his microphone fell out of his hands. Austin and I noticed that his voice was still going. While he was searching for his microphone in the smokey floor, his music still plays.

_Who-o-oa,_

_Yeah I Got It too_

_Who-o-oa,_

_Girl You Got It too_

_Who-o-oa,_

_Yeah I Got It too_

_Who-o-oa,_

_Girl You Got It too_

_Who-o-oa..._

"He's a fake!" said Austin.

Once Trent found his microphone, the audience started booing. The music stopped. Trent walked off stage.

He stomped towards us. "You did this, didn't you?" He yelled at Austin.

"I didn't do anything," said Austin. "At least I used my real voice."

"You—"

Trent swung his fist at Austin. Luckily, Austin ducked.

Before Trent could hit him, I threw my fist at him and he fell to the floor.

"Oh, my god," I gasped.

"Good shot, Ally," said Austin.

Trent got up and was holding his nose. "You broke my nose!"

"I'm so sorry!" I said.

Two of his giant bodyguards walked in front of him.

"Maddog, Joker, get them!" commanded Trent.

"No!" I yelled.

"I don't think so," said Rosie.

Rose jumped in front of us. Before the guards could charge at us, Rosie charge at them as well. She held back with her strong arms.

"What the hell?!" yelled Joker.

"Damn! This lil' girl's strong!" yelled Maddog.

Rosie pushed them back. Maddog charges towards her. She grabbed him by the arm and flipped him. He landed on his back onto the ground hard.

Joker ran towards Rosie. She gripped him by the neck and pushed him down to the ground.

"Damn!" said Austin.

Rosie leaned over both of them and said, "I'm not a little girl. I'm all woman. Oh, and FYI, you two got knocked the *beep* out!"

"This isn't over," said Trent.

"It already is," I said. He ran away in fear.

All of us and the Dancing Queens gathered on stage.

"Before we announced the winners, we would like to hear from our judges. Shiny Money, Carly Rae Jepson, and our vice principal, DaMonica Dixon! First off, the Dancing Queens!"

"Yo, all of these kids are so talented," said Shiny Money. "You girls can work it. Got some rhythm and some fine voices."

"Well, it's so hard to pick only one winner," said DaMonica. "You girls have wowed with spectacular music, incredible dancing, and you have showed me a lot of evert."

"You guys got girl power, you know that?" said Carly Rae Jepson. "I never thought three girls could make such awesome music. I see a very famous journey in y'alls futures."

Everybody applauded.

"Now we have the A Team!"

I wonder what the judges will say.

"Well, DaMonica, Carly, and I have something to say for each of y'all," said Shiny Money.

"First off, Trish De la Rosa. Girl, I must say you are a hell of a singer. I've never seen a girl like you dance like Beyonce and have the voice of an angel come out of you mouth. Dez Finklestor, you got a voice and some smooth moves too. DaMonica also has informed me that you're actually a director. I heard about Saving Heather and Claws: Dun Dun Dun. You're a freaky genius. I already showed them to some of my friends, who also know some of the greatest directors in Hollywood!"

Way to go for Dez and Trish. Now it's DaMonica.

"Nelson Reed, you are a rising star. Some might have said that you're just a desperate performer, but you're not. You're a diamond in the sky! And Rosie Velasquez, you are awesome. I've seen girls with dreams like you, but they're nothing like you. You got moves, you got taste, curves, and strong. I've seen you lift."

Oh, that's great for Rosie and Nelson. What will Carly Rae Jepson say about me and Austin?

"Austin and Ally, I have some words to say about you too. Austin, you're a fun, energetic, uncontrollable, and amazing young man. You got the looks, the voice, and the right moves. And that's what I love about you." What will she say about me? "Ally Dawson, I've heard a lot about you. You're a songwriter who used to have stage fright. I used to have stage fright just like you, but it changed. It changed after I started to follow my dreams. You're no longer the shy, little caterpillar anymore. You have now bloomed and shined as the beautiful Monarch butterfly that you were meant to be. Austin and Ally, you two are a perfect match and make incredible music together."

Everybody cheered for us all.

"Now in my hand, we have the winner's name in this paper." said Jimmy.

We held onto each other's hands.

This is it. The moment of truth. Which one of us will win? We have to know now. It's time.

"And the winner is…"


	14. Encore

It was finally happening. The name of the winner was in the paper in Jimmy's hand.

"The Dancing Queens!"

What?

Kira, Cassidy, and Tilly cheered as the confetti flew into the air.

Jimmy said, "I apologize, but unfortunately, the A Team has been disqualified because of their member who was not suppose to perform tonight: Ally Dawson. I'm sorry, guys."

Oh, God. This was my fault. What have I done? We lost because of me.

I turned to my friends. My eyes became watery.

"Guys," I whimpered, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Alls," said Rosie. "We put on a kick-ass show tonight."

"That's the only important part," added Dez.

We got into a group hug. I wasn't that sad anymore. I felt proud of my group. Wait. They're not my group. They're my friends.

"A Team! A Team! A Team!"

It sounded like the entire audience was yelling our name. We got out of the hug and looked into the audience.

Everybody stood up throwing their fists in the air and chanted, "A Team! A Team! A Team! A Team!"

They were cheering our names. I couldn't believe it. They were cheering for us and we didn't even win.

Kira came up to us and said, "I think they want an encore from the A Team."

I smiled. "Okay. We got another song for you, New York!" I said into the microphone.

Kira, Cassidy, Tilly, and Jimmy walked over stage. Our encore will be the epic finale of this story.

Nelson: Me not working hard?

Yeah, right! Picture that with a Kodak

Or, better yet, go to Times Square

Take a picture of me with a Kodak

Took my life from negative to positive

I just want y'all know that

And tonight, let's enjoy life

Pitbull, Nayer, Ne-Yo

That's right

Austin: Tonight I want all of you tonight

Give me everything tonight

For all we know we might not get tomorrow

Let's do it tonight

All: Don't care what they say

Or what games they play

Nothing is enough

'Til I have your love

Austin: Let's do it tonight

I want you tonight,

I want you to stay

I want you tonight

Rosie & I: Grab somebody sexy, tell 'em hey

Give me everything tonight

Give me everything tonight

Give me everything tonight

Give me everything tonight

We all got in a line and kneeled after one another. Rosie, who was at the end, did the splits. Dez got up and lifted Rosie up.

Dez:Take advantage of tonight

Cause tomorrow I'm off to Dubai to perform for a princess

Dez spun Rosie around as he sang to her. It seemed so romantic.

But tonight, I can make you my queen

And make love to you endless

This is insane: the way the name growin'

Money keep flowin'

Hustlers move aside

So, I'm tiptoein', to keep flowin'

I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan

Rosie: Put it on my life, baby,

I make you feel right, baby

Can't promise tomorrow

But, I promise tonight

Dalé

Trish: Excuse me (Excuse Me)

And I might drink a little more than I should tonight

And I might take you home with me, if I could tonight

And, baby, Ima make you feel so good, tonight

Cause we might not get tomorrow

All: Tonight I want all of you tonight

Give me everything tonight

For all we know we might not get tomorrow

Let's do it tonight

Our music changed. Everybody was clapping to the beat.

I sang: I'm on the floor, floor

I love to dance

So give me more, more,

'Til I can't stand

Get on the floor, floor

Like it's your last chance

If you want more, more

Then here I am

Trish & I: Starships were meant to fly

Hands up and touch the sky

Can't stop 'cause we're so high

Let's do this one more time

(Oh oh, oh oh)

Starships were meant to fly

Hands up and touch the sky

Let's do this one last time

Can't stop…

(We're higher than a motherfucker)

Rosie says on the microphone, "Hey, Ally. I like this part. Can I take it?"

"If you think you can handle it, Rose!"

Rose: Jump in my hooptie hooptie hoop

I own that

And I ain't paying my rent this month

I owe that

But fuck who you want, and fuck who you like

That's our life, there's no end in sight

Twinkle, twinkle little star

Now everybody let me hear you say ray ray ray

Now spend all your money cause today's pay day

And if you're a G, you a G, G, G

My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki

Trish & I: Starships were meant to fly

Hands up and touch the sky

Can't stop 'cause we're so high

Let's do this one more time

(Oh oh, oh oh)

Starships were meant to fly

Hands up and touch the sky

Let's do this one last time

Can't stop…

(We're higher than a motherfucker)

The song changed again. It changed to a funky song.

All: Take me by the tongue

And I'll know you

Kiss me 'til you're drunk

And I'll show you

All the moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

I don't need to try to control you

Look into my eyes and I'll own you

With them moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

I watched as everyone rocked out to our music. They were tapping their feet, dancing, or singing along with us.

I sang: You wanna know how to make me smile

Take control, own me just for the night

And if I share my secret

You're gonna have to keep it

Nobody else can see this

So watch and learn

I won't show you twice

Head to toe, oooh baby rub me right

But if I share my secret

You're gonna have to keep it

Nobody else can see this (Ay! Ay! Ay! Aaay!)

And it goes like this

All: Take me by the tongue (Take me by the tongue)

And I'll know you

Kiss me 'til you're drunk

And I'll show you (Yeah yeah yeah!)

All the moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

(Oh, yeah)

I don't need to try to control you

Look into my eyes and I'll own you

With them moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

I've got the moves like Jagger

The song ended. Everybody smiled and cheered for us.

I no longer cared that we didn't win. The only thing I'm happy about is that I'm finally living the dream with my friends. It was my time to shine.


End file.
